Fluid-pressure valve.



J. FOUBNIA. FLUID PRESSURE VALVE. APPLICATION IILBD JAN. 22, 1910.

974,872. Patented N018, 1910.

JOHN FOURNIA, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 FREDERICKRANDALL GREENE, 0F ALBANY, NEW YORK.

FLUID-PRESSURE VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN FOURNIA, a citizen of the United States,residing. at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fluid-Pressure Valves,of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

Miy invention relates to fluid-pressure Valves and particularly to thevalve mecha nism of fluid-pressure motors.

My invention is particularly applicable to simplex steam engines ormotors used on pumps, rock drills, and percussion and similar tools,though in its broad conception it is applicable to any fluid-pressuremotor or engine. In such motors various well-known automatic devices areemployed to throw the valve, that is, to move it back and forth so as toalternately connect the opposite ends of the cylinder with thepressure-fluid inlet and exhaust passages; and these automatic valvethrows either extend exteriorly of the cylinder and are mechanicallyoperated, as by eccentric rods or tappets, or are located wholly withinthe valve chest and are operated mechanically or by the pressure fluid.When the pressure-fluid is shut 0H and the motor stopped, the valve isapt to be stopped on center or at dead points, as it is called, that is,with the inlet and exhaust balanced on both sides of the piston, withthe result that, when the pressure fluid is again turned on, there is noinequality of pressure to start the piston. This is particularly apt tooccur in the case of motors in which the valve throw is located whollywithin the valve chest and is fluid actuated, such as is used mainly onsingle direct acting pumps or other simplex deviceswhich have nooccasion to be reversed in operation.

One object of my invention is to prevent the valves on fluid-pressuremotors from be coming so centered, or stopping at a dead point.

Other objects are reliability, durability and simplicity of constructionand operation.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from thefollowing description.

I shall now describe my invention with reference to the accompanyingdrawings and shall thereafter in claims.

The drawing shows a central vertical longitudinal section of afluid-pressure engine or motor with my invention applied thereto.

I shall hereafter speak of the pressure fluid as steam, though otherpressure fluids, as compressed air, will operate the mechanism equallyas well.

In the illustrated steam engine, a valveoperating plunger, which issteam actuated, is employed as the valve throw. An ordipoint out myinvention nary slide-valve 1 in the valve-chest 2 is shifted back andforth to alternately connect opposite ends of the cylinder 3 with thelive steam and exhaust passages in the usual way. The slide-valve l isshlfted by the valveoperating plunger 1, which is steam actuated and towhich the slide-valve is fixed. To cause the plunger 1 to be shifted bythe steam, the ends are made enlarged and hol low, and the steam,entering the valve-chest 2 through the pipe 5, envelops the plunger 4,and passes into the cylinder 3 through the inlet passage, which is open,and also rushes into the enlarged hollow ends of the plunger 4 throughopenings 6 shown as formed in the inner shoulders of the hollow ends.The steam issues from the hollow ends through small openings 7 leadinginto the cylindrical spaces 18 between the ends of the plunger and headsof the steam chest, into which spaces the plunger works with a tightfit. Since the pressure is normally equal at each end, the plunger 4:under ordinary conditions is balanced and motionless. To produce aninequality of pressure on the plunger, passages 8 are providedcommunicating between the spaces 18 and the respective ends of thecylinder 3, which passages are closed by reversing tapped valves 9 whichhave stems 10 extending into the cylinder 3. When the main piston 11reaches one end of its stroke, it strikes the stem 10 of the reversingvalve 9 at that end of the cylinder and opens the passage 8, therebypermitting the steam to exhaust from the space 18 at that end of theplunger 4 through the passage 8 and a passage 19 (shown in dotted lines)to the exhaust of the valve chest, and unbalancing the pressure upon thetwo ends of the plunger 4:, with the result that the plunger 4: andslide-valve 1 are shifted over and the motor reversed. Live steam, whichissues from ports 12 behind thereversing valves 9 through thepassagesshown in dotted lines, produces pressure to hold the valves 9 in closingposition and to return them to such position as soon as the piston 11 ismoved away. As usual, in its movement the plunger 4 closes the passages8 just before it reaches the end of its stroke and traps sufiicientsteam to cushion the stroke.

The construction, so far as above described, is substantially the sameas heretofore known and used and may be taken as an illustration of acomplete valve organism adapted to be combined with thevalve-controlling means devised by me.

The slidevalve 1 and plunger 4 are shown in the drawing as occupying aposition at the limit of their movement with one side of the cylinder 3open to the live steam and closed to the exhaust, and the other sideclosed to the live steam and open to the exhaust. \Vhen the steam isturned off, the plunger and slide-valve may stop midway in theirmovement with both sides of the cylinder 3 open tothe inlet and closedto the exhaust. In this event, when steam is again turned on, there isno inequality of pressure in the cylinder 3 to start the piston 11either way, and the plunger 4 remains balanced and motionless, sincethere is no way to open the reversing valves 9 and the engine isincapable of starting itself. To start the engine in such contingency,manually operated means are usually provided, whereby the attendant isenabled to move the valve one way or the other, but my invention broadlycomprehends automatic means auxiliary to the valve throw and cooperatingtherewith, which become operative to move the valve to starting positionwhen the steam is turned off, and are moved out of operative relationwith the valve throw when the steam is turned on.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawing, I employ anauxiliary cylinder 13, secured to the steam engine in any suitable wayin line with the valvechest 2, and a piston 14 therein provided with astem 15 projecting into the valvechest through stuffing boxes andarranged to abut against the end of the plunger 4, when not restrainedand held back out of abutting position. A pipe 16 forms a communicatingconduit between the steam inlet pipe 5 and the cylinder 13 so as toadmit steam in front of the piston 14; and a thrust-spring 17 in therear of the piston, bears at one end against the end of the cylinder 13,and at the other against the piston 14, and tends to push the pistontoward the plunger 4, and when the piston 14 is so thrust forward by thespring, the stem 15 011 the piston, abutting against the plunger 4,pushes the plunger and the valve 1 over to the farthest extent of theirmovement, as shown in the drawing. To counteract the thrust of thespring 17 on the piston, and withdraw the stem 15 from its abutmentagainst the plunger 4 and thus leave the plunger free to perform itsregular operation when the steam is turned on, the connecting pipe 16admits steam to the cylinder 13 in front of the piston 14 at the sametime that steam enters the valvechest 2, and the piston 14 and its stem15 are pushed back by the steam pressure exerted in opposition to thethrust of the spring 17, so that the stem 15 is withdrawn from the pathof the plunger 4, leaving the plunger free to perform its usualoperations. When the steam is shut off, the steam pressure immediatelyfalls in the cylinder 13, and the spring 17, being unopposed, againpushes the piston 14 and stem 15 forward, and the plunger 4 and valve 1are carried over to starting position.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the constructionshown and above particularly described within the principle and scope ofmy invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with the valve mecha nism of a fluid-pressure motor,means cooperative with the valve mechanism tending to place themechanism in starting position, and means controlled by the pressurefluid for rendering the coiiperative means inoperative.

2. In combination with a slide-valve of a fluid-pressure motor, meanscooperative with the valve tending to place the valve in startingposition, and means controlled by the pressure fluid for renderingthecooperative means inoperative.

3. In combination with the valve mecha- 10 nism of a fluid-pressuremotor and a valveoperating plunger, means cooperating with the plungerand tending to place the valve in starting position, and meanscontrolled by the pressure fluid for rendering the 00- 11 operativemeans inoperative.

4. In combination with the valve mechanism of a fluid-pressure motor,resilient means coiiperative with the valve mechanism tending to placethe mechanism in starting 1 position, and means controlled by thepressure fluid for rendering the resilient means inoperative.

5. In combination with a fluid-pressure slide-valve and avalve-operating plunger, 1 an auxiliary piston controlled by thepressure fluid and adapted to cooperate with the plunger to place thevalve in starting position when the pressure fluid is shut ofl", and tobe moved out of operative relation with 125 the plunger when thepressure fluid is admitted.

6. In combination with the valve mechanism of a fluid-pressure motor, anauxiliary cylinder, a piston in the auxiliary cylinder 135 adapted tocooperate with the valve mechanism to place the mechanism in startingposition, and means for admitting pressure fluid to the auxiliarycylinder to withdraw the piston from cooperation with the valvemechanism.

7. In combination with the valve mechanism of a fluid-pressure motor, avalve-operating member, an auxiliary cylinder and a piston thereinadapted to cooperate with the valve-operating member to move the valvemechanism to starting position, resilient means cooperative with thepiston and tending to move it into cooperative relation with thevalve-operating member, and means for admitting pressure fluid to theauxiliary cylinder in opposition to the resilient means to move thepiston out of operative relation with the valve-operating member.

8. In combination witha slide-valve mechanism of a fluid-pressure motorand a plunger for operating the slide-valve, an auxiliary cylinder and apiston therein, a thrust member operated by the piston and adapted toabut against the valve-operating plunger, resilient means cooperativewith the piston and tending to move the valve to starting position, andmeans for admitting pressure fluid to the auxiliary cylinder inopposition to the resilient means.

9. In combination with a valve-chest and valve mechanism of afluid-pressure motor, an auxiliary cylinder and a piston therein, athrust member operated by the piston and adapted in the absence of fluidpressure from the auxiliary cylinder to move the valve mechanism tostarting position, and a conduit in communication with the valvechest toadmit the fluid pressure to the auxiliary cylinder to move the auxiliarypiston out of operative connection with the valve mechanism.

10. In combination with a valve chest and a slide-valve mechanism of afluid-pressure motor and a plunger for operating the slidevalve, anauxiliary cylinder and a piston therein, a thrust member operated by thepiston and adapted to abut against the valveoperating plunger, resilientmeans cooperative with the piston tending to move the valve tc startingposition, and a communieating conduit between the valve-chest and theauxiliary cylinder arranged to admit pressure fluid in front of theauxiliary piston to move the auxiliary piston out of operativeconnection with the valve mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have ailixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JO'HN FOURNIA. Witnesses:

FRED M. GREENE, MARTIN BECK.

